Kitchen Queries

Welcome to Kitchen Queries, where the nigella.com team will answer your cooking or food related questions. We’d love you to submit some of your recipe problems, dilemmas or queries for us to get our teeth into!

Please note, we are only able to answer questions selected for publication and aren't able to enter into personal correspondence.

Latest Queries

Chicken Escalopes

What are chicken escalopes that are needed for this months cook along? I have not heard of these and don't know where to buy them?

Posted by KBJ. Answered on 29th Mar 2011 at 12.00

From the nigella team:

An escalope (sometimes called scallop) is a thin piece of meat or poultry. It is a thin slice of meat which is pounded to make it thinner (around 2-3mm or 1/8 inch thick). As it is cooked quickly in a frying pan it is usually a tender cut of meat such as chicken or turkey breast or veal.

If you can't find chicken escalopes at your butcher or supermarket then it is fairly easy to make them. Take a chicken breast and lay it on a chopping board (cutting board). Cover the breast with clingflilm (plastic wrap) or greaseproof paper and pound with a mallet, rolling pin or the base of a small heavy saucepan until thin - you will need to pound the thicker end of the breast a little more than the thinner end to make sure the escalope is an even thickness all the way along. If the chicken breast is large or thick then it is easier to cut through the breast horizontally and open it out (like a book) before covering and pounding it.

For the Cookalong you will need to use one small chicken breast (125g/4 1/2 ounces) per escalope.